Bush Wants Right To Use Military If Bird Flu Hits

Reuters ^ | 10/4/05

[vrwc0915]

ping for later

[Windsong]

Er..Bird Flu?!

Uh huh..

[NJ_gent]

Is it just me, or is our President looking for more and more situations in which the Commander-in-Chief should be allowed to use American military forces on our own soil?

[glorgau]

Is it just me, or is our President looking for more and more situations in which the Commander-in-Chief should be allowed to use American military forces on our own soil?

I think it's a case of "If you all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."

[Shalom Israel]

Hooray for martial law! Next question: do you think his new "stealth" nominee for SCOTUS will find that Constitutional? Just wondering...

[A.Hun]

They would be the only ones in a position to enforce needed quarantines. If he is mentioning this now, it is possible.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Floods
Bird Flu
Sars
Earthquake
Wrong Election Outcome
Terrorists
Ice storm
...

[dirtboy]

Is it just me, or is our President looking for more and more situations in which the Commander-in-Chief should be allowed to use American military forces on our own soil?

It ain't just you.

This should be a last-ditch emergency proposal - NG should be used first. A lot more people died from government last century than died in the great flu pandemic.

[PissAndVinegar]

Ridiculous....
" Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in four Asian nations since late 2003 and has been found in birds in Russia and Europe."

Let's get some perspective:
How many have died from the 'plain old' flu in this time period?
From Drunk drivers?
From food poisoning?
From an infection after stubbing their toe?

Can we mobilize the military against the citizens if there are mass toe stubbings?

[linn37]

I think the President needs to rethink some things. He's going to be explaining this comment and Ms. Miers for the next month.

[Artemis Webb]

If your kids or wife is dying..along with half a million other Americans in the next pandemic I am "just wondering" what your thoughts will be then.

[PeterPrinciple]

We should have quarentined for the aids epidemic.

[Semper Paratus]

Does he know it's coming?

[va4me]

I think it's a case of "If you all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."

You mean "more government" isn't the answer to every problem?

[From many - one.]

I wonder if it wouldn't be a bit more effective to let the local police do the enforcement and focus on medical preparedness: prevention, treatments, distribution networks and suchlike before we end up with de facto martial law.

[Jonathan]

Bush: "Trust Me".

Really?

[Artemis Webb]

Bird flu is one possible precursor of a pandemic which is a statistically an absolute certainty.

Care to go back in history (you only need to go back to the 1960's) and look at the death tolls?

[kaboom]

Is it just me...

Or does the President just realize that some state governments are completely useless and incapable of responding to a true emergency.

[Walkingfeather]

Yes bird flu. Read into it, this is not a chicken little event.